Meet your Governors

Governor

Governor

I am delighted to be elected as public governor for Reading. I have, like so many in Reading, been a patient, fortunately not too often, but I am very aware how important a well-run and caring hospital is for the town and beyond.

I have a strong interest in health and wellbeing and intend to take part in ward visits and seek patients’ experiences as well as attend governor meetings. I will continue as far as I can to represent the concerns of our community and to make sure the town and the hospital work together as good neighbours.

I’ve been a Public Governor for Reading for 1-1/2 years now and have felt honoured to be elected and to be able to ‘give back’ to the community in this way. Being even a small part of the Berkshire Healthcare system is a most rewarding experience.

My background is in Telecommunications and Electronics. I have over 40 years experience in management, engineering and technical training positions. My working experience has included much overseas travel worldwide. This has led to a deep understanding of people, local environments and practices. This has enabled me to appreciate differing points of view and to build effective liaisons

I’m a member of the Institute of Engineering & Technology (MIET) and enjoy sailing, amateur astronomy, swimming & walking. I have two grown up children who were both proudly born at the RBH, and two grandchildren. I am married to a Bavarian lady and we have lived happily in Reading for over 38 years.

I am keen to hear from anyone in the Reading area if they feel the need to feedback about their experiences with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.

I am keen to continue the work I did as a Governor at the Trust from 2016 till 2019. It was at a crucial time as I headed the Governor Strategy Committee and provided input to the developing new Trust strategy, Vision 2025. I am in my third term as a Governor now.

My experience and involvement in areas including governance, advocacy, charity and ability to communicate complex ideas is a valuable contribution to the Trust's implementation of its vision and especially in a time of crisis.

In my role as a Public Governor at the Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (where it has concerns about care in areas like dementia, cancer, maternity, A&E and maintaining adequate staffing levels), I hold the Non-Executive Directors accountable by providing scrutiny in these and areas including clinical services while communicating stakeholder, especially public stakeholder concerns.

My participation in Patient Safety and Patient Experience Walkabouts at the RBH Hospital Trust has helped me gain in-depth knowledge and experience about hospital processes, procedures and concerns. Speaking to patients in wards has also helped me gauge what patient needs are paramount. I am also a member of the Patient Participation group at my GP surgery and South Reading Patient Voice group representing the concerns of the community.

I was a Chair with a charity for those in need; Sadaka, until spring 2021. Sadaka is run by purely voluntary trustees and volunteers like myself that believe in providing a loving and helping hand through freshly cooked hot meals, warm smiles and a listening ear. Other than Board level governance responsibilities, I got 'stuck in', leading sessions. I also liaised with local organisations and businesses to garner support for Sadaka, including for training and fundraising. This charity is particularly close to my heart, because of its open and non-judgmental ethos. I am able to represent the healthcare needs of those most vulnerable in our community through this and was a Safeguarding Champion at the Trust.

I am honoured to have been elected as a public governor for Reading at this critical time for the NHS and Reading residents. I am totally committed to supporting the NHS and seeing a redeveloped Royal Berkshire Hospital meet the needs of the local community. I will use my skill set to promote customer engagement and an inclusive structured approach to the development challenges. I will take an interest in the interactions between primary and social care and the Trust to promote wellbeing in the community. I have lived for most of my adult life in and around Reading and for the last twenty years in central Reading (Katesgrove). I will encourage RBH to operate as a good neighbour.

Back in 2005, I was incensed when routine Saturday GP services disappeared. I wrote many letters of complaint at the time with little effect. As a result of that unsatisfactory episode, I became involved in patient representation initially through Patient and Public Forums and then through LINk groups in Wokingham and West Berkshire. I joined our local PPG and the Wokingham Area PPG forum which I now chair. In 2009, I joined the RBH as a patient partner volunteer and since 2014 I have been an elected public governor for Wokingham Borough.

My career commenced at Windscale in Cumbria as a student apprentice with the UK Atomic Energy Authority. I gained an engineering degree prior to transforming into a Chartered Accountant with one of the major UK firms.

I went on to work in IT at a major construction company before moving into the Food Industry. Since retiring, I have had some investor level involvement in various start-up companies.
Prior to Covid, my wife and I travelled widely across every continent bar Antarctica but my first choice destination remains the Lake District where I was taken youth hostelling on a school trip at the age of 11!

I was very honoured to be elected as a governor for Wokingham.
I'm committed to supporting the NHS and want to see a redeveloped Royal Berkshire Hospital that will meet the needs of all our local communities. Our Royal Berks employees are dedicated professionals who do a wonderful job for us. They particularly need our support during these difficult Covid 19 times.

I have recently retired from a 40-year career in the toy Industry in manufacturing and importing. I was a company director for 30 years including 26 years as a Managing Director. I am a Wokingham Borough, and an Earley Town councillor.

I've lived in the Reading/Wokingham area for nearly 50 years and was a pupil at the Bulmershe school in Woodley.

Governor

Governor

Public Governor, East Berkshire & Borders

Governor

I am a resident of Mortimer and previously lived in Wargrave. I have worked in health care industries until retirement and continue to be involved via membership of my local surgery patient group and the West Berkshire Patient Panel. I also remain involved with the diagnostics industry and organisations for clinical laboratory science.

Public Governor, West Berkshire & Borders

Martyn was a dual qualified nurse having trained in Berkshire and worked for the NHS both in Reading, at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, and later in Bristol specialising in Intensive Care and trauma. 

As well as his work as Governor he is also active with many Cancer initiatives. Martyn is committed to safe, quality driven care available for all at the point of need and doing whatever he can to keep the NHS working for communities and enjoys remaining involved with his local Foundation Trust supporting their amazing work in his role as a Governor

Martyn works with Samaritans and enjoys spending time with his family and playing music.

After moving to South Oxfordshire in 2008 it was necessary for me to attend the Royal Berks for treatment. During that time I joined the RBH Patient Panel. After a year or so I joined the Diabetes Governance Committee as the Patient Representative which I have now served on for some ten years. I have also been one of the speakers at RBH Health Care Assistant’s induction courses and to junior nurses during their specialist ‘diabetes days’.

Locally, in South Oxfordshire, I have been a Councillor for some 5/6 years. I am also a member of the local surgery’s patient panel.

My professional background is that of a Consulting Civil/Structural engineer having been joint Senior Partner of a consultancy practice and during that time I was involved in the design and construction of various health projects including general hospitals.

Appointed by East Berkshire CCG

I am the Deputy Leader of West Berkshire Council, the Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing, and I chair the West Berkshire Health and Wellbeing Board. I am also a Governor at the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and keen to promote the connection between local authorities and the NHS to benefit patients and our community.

I am the partner governor for the Alliance for cohesion and racial equality (Acre) that was established in 2012, following the merger of Reading Council for Racial Equality (RCRE) and the Sakoma (Togetherness) BME Forum. The core function of Acre is to promote ‘Equality & Community Cohesion’ in Reading and is the lead organisation for delivering the Local Authority’s Narrowing the Gap ll Strategy: 2.3 Support for Marginalised Communities. I joined RCRE in 1999 as Immigration Caseworker before being promoted to Deputy Director and Casework Supervisor prior to managing Acre.

Acre and partners have a ‘Community Champions’ group to promote ‘Health and Wellbeing’ in particular Mental Health, Cancer/Prostrate Cancer, Suicide prevention/awareness, Diabetes and the impact of Female Genital Mutilation in minority/marginalised communities. Rose Centre (Reading) also support survivors, and promote education around the practice of FGM. More recently I have been the lead in relation to the setting up a multi-ethnic/cultural Men’s group called “We, Men” which explores men’s role in society, issues affecting men, and provides Peer-peer support.

I am married to Zainab, have two children Namina and James, and a grandson Mason-James.

I have been Reading Labour Councillor since 2006 in Southcote Ward. I had the honour to be the Mayor of Reading for 2011/2012 and 2018/2019. I am a Governor for the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, a school governor and a Trustee for No5 and Launchpad. I am passionate about getting the best possible medical support and outcomes for our Reading people so that they can lead a fulfilling and happy lifes.

Carol received her DPhil from the University of York in 1999 and is also an alumnus of Royal Holloway, University of London. She was appointed as Assistant Professor at University of Reading in January 2007 and promoted to Professor in 2017. Carol is presently Professor of Crop Quality for Health in the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Reading and Research Dean for Agriculture Food and Health. Carol is on the Agriculture Food and Veterinary Science Unit of Assessment panel for REF2021 and is on the editorial boards of Annual Plant Reviews Online and the Journal of Molecular Horticulture. She co-Directs the BBSRC Horticulture Quality and Food Loss Network and the AgriFood Training Partnership. She also leads FoodSEqual, one of four projects funded as part of a £24 million investment by government into transforming the UK food system, which aims to co-produce healthy, sustainable food systems for disadvantaged communities.

Carol leads a research group that takes a food-system wide approach to improving the quality of fresh produce and ensuring that everyone has access to it. Quality includes the nutritional value, appearance, flavour and shelf life, and the group enables better quality fresh produce to be offered to consumers through quantifying and manipulating the impact that the growing environment, postharvest handling and supply chain management has on crop quality parameters. Her group’s technical expertise is in linking high-throughput and high-resolution metabolomics data with genetic, molecular and organoleptic profiling in both crops and humans in order to discover regulatory mechanisms associated with flavour and nutritional traits. The diversity of projects in the group all contribute to solving the overarching problem: vegetables and fruit are not consumed in sufficient quantities by consumers to support a healthy diet. This may be for a variety of reasons connected to consumer preference, availability or affordability. In addition, fresh produce that is consumed is often provided through supply chains which have poor sustainability credentials. Only by taking a holistic approach to these problems can we really support consumers from diverse socio-economic backgrounds to be able to choose to eat a sustainable, healthy diet.

When not supporting academic research Carol can most likely be found training and competing her dressage horses, or nurturing her garden and discovering just how difficult it is to try to grow your own food.

Orla is Professor of Public Health Nutrition at the University of Reading. She is a graduate of the University of Ulster and Queens University Belfast. She joined Reading in 2005 as programme director for Nutrition & Food Science courses, was appointed Faculty Director (Teaching and Learning), Faculty of Science in 2010, and Associate Dean (Science) in 2012. In 2014 she took up the post of Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning) in the Faculty of Life Sciences, was appointed as University Teaching and Learning Dean (Student Achievement) in 2015-2021 and was promoted to Professor in 2017.

Orla was awarded a RUSU Teaching Award in 2012, a University Teaching Fellowship in 2013 and University Team Teaching Award in 2016 and again in 2021. Orla has led the development of many student support initiatives including the award winning Thrive Career mentoring scheme and Academic Tutoring Scheme. She led the Universities approach to Student Voice and Partnership, and many other education and student experience projects. Orla has been the university’s nominee for National teaching fellow; individual award on one occasion and team led on two occasions. Orla was appointed to the role of a Strategic Partnership Director (Health) in Oct 2021, alongside teaching in food and nutritional sciences.

Orla has extensive university and external governance experience. She served as a Council Member of the UK Nutrition Society; membership of various committees of the Institute Food Science and Technology, was elected academic member of University of Reding Council, trustee/council of the Association of Nutrition (AfN), AFN register 2021/22; and Chair and deputy chair of the AfN registration committee.

She is a registered nutritionist with the AfN, registered dietitan with the HCPC, holds fellowship of the IFST and fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Orla works part time, lives in Reading, has two small girls Aine & Brigid, is an active member of Earley St Peters Primary school PTA, where her oldest girl attends. She is part of the seldom winning Quizerdary quiz team, and can be regularly found ferrying her girls to various activities and parties around Reading.

Governor

I’ve been working for the NHS for 24 years and have been at the Royal Berkshire Hospital for 19 years in the Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering department mainly working in radiation protection and diagnostic radiology physics. My family and I owe a lot to the hospital, with one baby born at RBH and one life saved; and this list could continue!

Before working in the NHS I did medical physics based research at the University of St Andrews where I gained a PhD. That experience helps me with our trainee clinical scientists (a shortage profession) and should be useful as our links with the University of Reading strengthen. Its in the nature of my work to travel across the hospital sites of RBFT and across the many departments within RBH and I have many opportunities to speak with other staff memebers.

I’m fortunate enough to be in my second term as Governor, this being year 4, and I am enjoying the opportunity of helping shape its future by being part of a team that keeps the leadership to account. With the Trust being on the point of going through significant transformation its more important than ever to make sure its leadership continues to maintain the high standards it operates at.

Staff governor for Nursing/Midwifery

I have been qualified as a nurse for just over two years, after retraining following the treatment of my wife for cancer at the RBH. This experience inspired me to become a nurse and I am now a Senior Staff Nurse at the trust. I have a real interest in the healthcare sector and how we can improve practice, patient safety/care as well as staffing levels to name a few areas. As the staff governor for nursing and midwifery I want to voice the concerns, experiences and achievements across the trust so that we are able to remain an outstanding trust.

Staff Governor

Governor